More drama could hardly have been imagined.

Two minutes and 21 seconds before the end, the German hockey men seemed to be aiming for a defeat at a score of 0:2.

Worse still: A loss in a World Cup quarterfinals without putting up any real resistance.

But appearances were deceptive.

The fact that a 4:3 victory after a penalty shoot-out (it was 2:2 after regulation time) was to be celebrated thanks to the excellent comeback quality and proven class.

In the semifinals this Friday (12 noon, live on DAZN) Germany will now meet Australia in Bhubaneswar.

The East India campaign, which should possibly lead to the first world championship title since 2006 and came to a disappointing end by a hair's breadth, continues.

"Incredible.

It was crazy," said captain Mats Grambusch.

He and his brother Tom, who was three years younger, had only brought the selection of the German Hockey Association (DHB) within reach of this coup with their hits.

Two minutes and 20 seconds before the end, Mats used what was by far the best German attack to score a late goal, one minute and 39 seconds before the end Tom kept his nerve as a shooter from the seven-meter point.

With a penalty corner - 38 seconds before the end - the Germans, who had been offensively inadequate for almost the entire season, could have even created the ultimate turnaround in this game, but missed this chance.

Match winner with first touch of the ball

Only to grab courageously in the following penalty shootout.

All four German shooters scored – in the case of Christopher Ruhr, who hit a seven-metre penalty in the closing stages of regulation time, video evidence (the ball must have crossed the goal line within eight seconds) had to be consulted.

Goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, who came on especially for the final shootout, secured victory with a save through his first touch of the ball of the tournament.

"An extremely blatant game, we are all ultra happy," said the match winner.

The national coach had to live through many anxious moments on the edge of the blue artificial turf.

"I'm proud of what a great mentality this team has developed.

The boys stayed clear and calm and played their best hockey under pressure,” said André Henning.

“We always said: We want to be a tournament team.

I imagine it like this.

This mental strength carries us.”

In fact, two minutes and 20 seconds and strong nerves in the penalty shoot-out were enough to create the feeling that this German team can now do anything.

They started the game in an unstructured manner and fell behind through Wallace (11th).

Although the DHB team came up a little better in the second quarter against the British, who had not conceded until then, the next blow to the neck followed shortly after the break when Ansell scored a penalty (32nd).

This mortgage seemed to weigh heavily on the Germans.

Her game seemed increasingly helpless, interspersed with inaccuracies and lack of concentration.

And so the minutes passed.

Until the rebellion of the Germans, which was no longer considered possible, took place - and how!